Chapman 109: In Praise of the Lyric Muse: Stewart Conn at 70 ("Chapman", Scotland's Quality Literary Magazine) - Tapa blanda

Stewart Conn has been prominent since his wild days in the 60s and 70s. His talent and energy still burn brightly. This is a tribute to him in which we offer new poetry and his commentary on the poetry of Muriel Spark. Colin Nicholson admires Conn's "realm of possibility" while Kevin McEneaney boogies in "the fun-house" of Conn's cortex. Musician John Sampson describes their collaboration over his poem-sequence 'Roull of Corstorphine'. Meg Bateman's achievements as a Gaelic poet and academic are very special. She muses on the differences between languages, the process of translation and the slow death of Gaelic. We also feature new poetry from Tessa Ransford, Richard Price, Norman Kreitman and others; fiction from Frances Campbell, Elizabeth Reeder, Brian Lamont and others, plus reviews. Colin Dunbar designed our cover while Glasgow artist Anda Paterson visits the down-and-outs in Scotland and Portugal, finding beauty and nobility rising above the grime.

Stewart Conn: born Glasgow 1936, raised Kilmarnock, lives in Edinburgh. Head of radio drama, BBC Scotland - 1992. 2002- 2005 Edinburgh's official Makar. Books: Stolen Light: Selected Poems, Ghosts at Cockcrow (Bloodaxe), The Loving-Cup (Mariscat) and 100 Favourite Scottish Poems (ed) (Luath). Joy Hendry: editor Chapman, poet, playwright, critic, broadcaster. Awarded Hon D Litt Edinburgh University 2005 Chapman is Scotland s leading literary magazine; controversial, influential, outspoken and intelligent. Founded in 1970, it has become a dynamic force in Scottish culture, covering theatre, politics, language and the arts. We have garnered a well-deserved reputation for quality, diversity and an authoritative cultural voice. Our highly-respected forum for poetry, fiction, criticism, review and debate is essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary Scotland. The outstanding feature of the magazine is its consistency of quality, combined with originality in the range of material it publishes. Most of all, and perhaps unique to Chapman, is its dynamic nature. It's not passive and merely reflective of the current literary scene, but actively stimulating change in both culture and in society at large. The magazine has played a small, but significant role in shaping the Scotland we now enjoy. When the magazine was founded, there was almost no interest in Scottish literature anywhere most conspicuously in Scotland. Nearly all of our best writers were unknown names even at home, languishing without a publisher or magazine publication. There seemed no prospect of any decent literary infrastructure nor a way to stem, for example, the strong tide flowing against our indigenous languages, Scots and Gaelic, which were generally derided as inherently inferior, even primitive. Chapman has helped to change that all that by being bold and interventionist. Increasing numbers of the public are now keenly grasping the potential of these languages and of Scottish culture in general, as a natural way of enriching their lives. Chapman publishes the best in Scottish writing new work by well-known Scottish writers in the context of lucid critical discussion. With our commitment to the future, we energetically promote new writers, new ideas and approaches. Several issues have been landmarks in their field in Scots language, women's writing and cultural politics in Scotland. We have published extensive features on important writers: Hugh MacDiarmid, Hamish Henderson, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Tom Scott, Naomi Mitchison, Edwin and Willa Muir and Alasdair Gray and others, to the benefit of their reputation and status. We also publish poetry and short fiction from new writers, as well as critical articles and items of general cultural interest. Most issues feature Scots and Gaelic as well as English. The focus is on Scotland, but Chapman has a long history of publishing international literature, both in English by non-Scots and in translation from other languages. The list of countries published over the years is too long to cite here, but it spans the entire globe. Chapman will undoubtedly interest anyone researching Scottish and/or British literature. It has a natural outlet in universities and institutions of secondary education. With its emphasis on new creative writing, it is useful to anyone with a love of literature. You can help our work by subscribing, or even ordering a single copy of the magazine, or one of our books. It helps us and the writers we publish while giving the reader a great deal to enjoy.